On the borderline: Russian troops await their orders, misinformation abounds and the news lens remains trained on Ukraine. Contributors: Ruslan Deynychenko - Executive director, StopFake.Org (Ukranian) Nina Jankowicz - Author, How to Lose the Information War & fellow, The Wilson Center Bret Schafer - Senior fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States Branko Marcetic – Staff writer, Jacobin magazine On our radar: Are they anti-Semitic or just pro-Palestinian? The German state broadcaster fires more journalists over accusations of anti-Semitism. Producer Flo Phillips looks at the purging of certain voices in the German media. Six months since the Taliban: Afghanistan’s ‘news desert’ Thousands of kilometres from home and the story they still long to cover. At least these exiled Afghan journalists are safe. Contributors: Lotfullah Najafizada - Former director, Tolo News Zaki Daryabi - Publisher, Etilaat Roz Shogofa Sediqi - Journalist & former director, Zan TV Hamida Aman - Founder, Radio Begum

The Listening Post

Ukraine: US and Russia battle for narrative supremacy | The Listening Post

The Olympics are back in Beijing, and China is using them as an opportunity to cleanse itself of its record on human rights as well as on its shrinking freedom of the press. Let the propaganda games begin. Contributors: Xu Qinduo - Presenter, CGTN Susan Brownell - Professor of anthropology, University of Missouri & author, Beijing's Games: What the Olympics Mean to China Yaqiu Wang - Senior researcher, Human Rights Watch Jonathan Cheng - China bureau chief, The Wall Street Journal On our radar: In Indian-administered Kashmir, the arrest of a journalist - another one - under terrorism and sedition charges is the latest development in an escalating war on journalism. Eric Zemmour: Far-right presidential candidate, protege of the French media France and a far-right journalist turned presidential contender - Eric Zemmour - and the TV channel behind his rise. Contributors: Aurelien Mondon - Associate professor of politics, University of Bath Rokhaya Diallo - Contributor, C8 & contributor, The Washington Post Christophe Deloire - Secretary-general, Reporters Without Borders

Beijing Olympics 2.0: China’s soft power push | The Listening Post

A new front has opened up in the battle over content moderation, turning our attention from Facebook and Twitter to the land of podcasts. Contributors: Zaid Jilani - Writer, Inquire Kat Rosenfield - Co-host, "Feminine Chaos" & culture writer Joshua Dudley - Media and entertainment writer, Forbes and co-Host, "Let's Yell About Movies!" Jessica Malaty Rivera - Epidemiologist and science communicator On our radar: One year after the military coup in Myanmar, Johanna Hoes explains how journalists there are still paying the price. Hashtag Battles in Ethiopia: For 15 months now, the conflict in Ethiopia has been fought under a near-total media blackout. Nicholas Muirhead looks at the online activism filling the information void. Contributors: Claire Wilmot - Doctoral researcher, London School of Economics Abebe Gellaw - Journalist Meaza Gidey Gebremedhin - Tigrayan activist

Joe Rogan, COVID misinformation & Spotify’s $100m dilemma | The Listening Post

The showdown between Russia and Ukraine - part military threat, part information warfare. Contributors: Adam Tooze - Professor of History, Columbia University Vitalii Rybak - Media Analyst, Internews Ukraine Olga Yurkova - Co-founder, Stopfake.org Bryan MacDonald - Journalist, RT On our radar: Losing the battle of global perception, Israel plans to fund an initiative that would spread Israeli state propaganda across the globe. ‘Don’t Look Up’: Producer David Sirota on the movie and the message: The new film is Hollywood’s take on the climate change story and an explicit critique of journalism that does a more effective job of highlighting the crisis than most media outlets do. Contributor: David Sirota - Co-Producer,  ‘Don’t Look Up’

Ukraine crisis: Entrenched narratives and a dearth of nuance | The Listening Post

PartyGate in the United Kingdom: Boris Johnson, the BBC and the art of distraction. Contributors: Mic Wright - Media critic and journalist Marie Le Conte - Journalist and author Robin Aitken - Former BBC reporter and Author ‘Can We Trust the BBC?’ Marcus Ryder - Visiting Professor in Media Diversity, Birmingham City University and Former BBC News Executive Producer On our radar: Two more reporters working the drug and crime beat are murdered in Mexico - there's no more dangerous place to do journalism. Breaking North Korea’s Radio Silence Content from the outside world - news and entertainment - is finding its way to North Korean audiences. Contributors: Lee Kwang Baek - President and Presenter, Unification Media Group Jeongcheol Lee - Defector and Editor, UMG Radio Sokeel Park - Country Director, Liberty In North Korea Jieun Baek - Fellow, Belfer Center and Author, ‘North Korea’s Hidden Revolution'

Boris Johnson takes a swipe at the BBC | The Listening Post

The staredown on Russia’s border with Ukraine - The story gets the Cold War treatment and needs an update. Contributors: Olga Tokariuk - Journalist & CEPA non-resident fellow Max Seddon - Moscow bureau chief, Financial Times Terrell Starr - Host, Black Diplomats podcast & nonresident senior fellow, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council Ekaterina Kotrikadze - News director, TV Rain On our radar: Emmanuel Macron and his rival, Eric Zemmour, have messages for the French media ahead of the 2022 presidential elections. Greece's femicide epidemic and sexism in the media In Greece, the growing issue of femicide and the patriarchal problem news organisations need to get past. Contributors: Christina Galanopoulou - Head of social media, LiFO magazine Zina Koutselini - TV host, Star Channel Anastasia Giamali - Journalist, Kontra Channel Natassa Kefallinou - Head of communications, Diotima

Ukraine: Cold War stereotypes and competing narratives | The Listening Post

Amid a spike in anti-minority hate speech, independent journalists in India uncover Hindu extremist gatherings and the truth behind a bizarre mobile app claiming to "sell" prominent Muslim women. Contributors: Samar Halarnkar - Editor, Article 14 Vijayta Lalwani - Journalist R Jagannathan - Editorial Director, Swarajya Mohammed Zubair - Co-founder, AltNews On our radar: Two of Hong Kong’s last pro-democracy news outlets close, and an iconic memorial to the victims of Tiananmen Square is torn down. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the climate for expression in Hong Kong. 'Foreign agents' and 'undesirables': Kremlin's media labels Authorities in Russia have been systematically clamping down on journalism with the help of so-called “patriotic” activists. Contributors: Vitaly Borodin - Federal Security & Anti-Corruption Project Roman Badanin - Founder & Former Editor in Chief, Proekt Lilia Yapparova - Special Correspondent, Meduza 00:00 Intro 01:48 India’s growing extremism problem 11:10 Latest from Hong Kong 14:57 The Kremlin’s media labels 24:11 End note

Hate speech and online abuse: India’s growing extremism problem | The Listening Post

A court in the United Kingdom greenlights Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States - Press freedom groups call it a "travesty of justice", but the response from the mainstream media has been muted. Contributors: Tariq Ali - Co-editor, In Defence of Julian Assange; editor, New Left Review Nils Melzer - UN Special Rapporteur on torture; author, The Trial of Julian Assange Lester Munson - Senior associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies Rebecca Vincent - Director of International Campaigns and UK Bureau director, RSF On our radar: The investigation into the January 6 Capitol Hill riot in the US has revealed private pleas, via text, from top Fox News anchors to Trump staffers. Producer Tariq Nafi tells Richard Gizbert why those messages have led to accusations of hypocrisy against the network. The Turks turning to YouTube: Independent journalists in Turkey, like Cüneyt Özdemir, are taking refuge online. Özdemir’s daily YouTube programme has become a staple for Turks - younger viewers - looking for journalism of a different kind. Contributors: Cüneyt Özdemir - Creator and host, Cüneyt Özdemir Show Cansu Çamlibel - Former columnist, Gazete Duvar; Former editor-in-chief, Duvar English Emre Kizilkaya - Turkish vice chair, International Press Institute; author, The New Mainstream Media Is Rising

Assange: WikiLeaks founder one step closer to extradition | The Listening Post

Pegasus, the Israeli spyware tool exposed by journalists early this year, is now in trouble with  American authorities and big tech. Contributors: Marwa Fatafta - MENA policy manager, Access Now Omer Benjakob - Tech and cyber-reporter, Haaretz Laurent Richard - Founder, Forbidden Stories Albert Fox Cahn - Surveillance Technology Oversight Project On our radar: Boris Johnson’s United Kingdom government has been spinning the narrative to get itself out of multiple scandals over the past year but as producer Meenakshi Ravi tells Richard Gizbert, the latest one is proving a lot harder to control. Big oil propaganda: From advertorials to Instagram: The messaging of oil companies has changed with the times. Denying the reality of climate change is out, delaying what to do about it is in. Contributors: Molly Taft - Staff writer, Earther/Gizmodo Amy Westervelt - Founder, Critical Frequency podcast network and host, Drilled Geoffrey Supran  - Research Associate, Harvard University 00:00 Intro 01:14 NSO faces sanctions 10:51 Radar 13:44 Big Oil’s PR push 24:07 End note

Blacklisted: Israeli spyware firm NSO faces sanctions, lawsuits | The Listening Post

A new coronavirus variant has brought uncertainty back into the pandemic story. With scientists and journalists racing to understand Omicron, news audiences have been left with more questions than answers. Contributors: Kai Kupferschmidt - Contributing Correspondent, Science Magazine Jon Allsop  - Writer, Columbia Journalism Review Monica Gandhi  - Infectious Diseases Doctor, University of California San Francisco Mosa Moshabela - Deputy Vice Chancellor Research & Innovation, University of KwaZulu-Natal On our radar: Russian state-funded news network RT threatens to sue Meduza, an independent media outlet, over a T-shirt. Producer Flo Phillips tells Richard Gizbert why the words "foreign agent" are at the centre of the dispute. K-Drama: Riding the Korean Wave: Binge-worthy content, slick production, romantic storylines - the story behind South Korea’s rise as a cultural superpower. Contributors: Lee Ki-hyuk - Chief Strategy Officer, Studio Dragon Seok Kyeong Hong - Professor of Communications, Seoul University Kyong Yoon - Associate Professor of Cultural Studies, University of British Columbia

Omicron coverage in overdrive | The Listening Post

Sudan’s flirtation with democracy ends in a coup d’etat - how far will its leaders go to control what we know about the story? Contributors: Mohanad Hashim - journalist Jonas Horner - deputy director, Horn of Africa, Crisis Group Yassmin Abdel-Magied, writer and broadcaster Raga Makawi - editor, Africa Arguments On our radar: As Myanmar’s military courts sentence journalists arrested after the coup that removed democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi, producer Nicholas Muirhead talks Richard Gizbert about the release of American journalist Danny Fenster. Eric Zemmour: The political rise of France’s far-right polemicist Far-right French journalist Eric Zemmour has yet to declare himself a presidential candidate - but has he already set the tone for next year’s election? Contributors: Rokhaya Diallo - contributor, C8 and The Washington Post newspaper Christophe Deloire - secretary-general, Reporters Without Borders Aurelien Mondon - associate professor of politics, University of Bath

Sudan's military coup and the stifling of speech | The Listening Post

As Ethiopia stares down the barrel of all-out civil war, a government-imposed communications blackout is allowing hatred and disinformation to thrive. Contributors: Berhan Taye - Digital researcher Nima Elbagir - Senior international correspondent, CNN Claire Wilmot - Research officer, LSE On our radar: This week, a routine news conference in Athens turned into a shouting match between a Dutch journalist and the Greek prime minister. Meenakshi Ravi tells Richard Gizbert about the media furore that ensued. War and PiS: An attack on Poland’s biggest news channel: Back from the brink, still on the air - the Polish 24-hour news channel that remains in the government’s crosshairs. Contributors: Brygida Grysiak - Deputy editor-in-chief, TVN24 Tomasz Lis - Former anchor, TVN & editor-in-chief, Newsweek Poland Elżbieta Rutkowska - Journalist, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna Beata Tadla - Former anchor, TVP & host, Onet.Pl

Hate speech and misinformation in Ethiopia’s war | The Listening Post

Climate change: News organisations, fossil fuel companies and audiences all need to do better on the story that could mean the end of us. Contributors: Meera Selva - deputy director of the Reuters Institute Genevieve Guenther - founder and director, End Climate Silence George Monbiot - author and columnist David Gelber - co-founder, The Years Project On our radar: A year after war broke out in the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government has declared a six-month state of emergency. Producer Flo Phillips joins Richard Gizbert to discuss the effect it is having on freedom of expression. The hate crimes going viral in India: Violence against Muslims, filmed by the perpetrators, is the latest ugly trend among India’s Hindu vigilantes. Contributors: Alishan Jafri - journalist, The Wire Hate Watch Angana Chatterji - anthropologist, University of California, Berkeley and co-editor of Majoritarian State: How Hindu Nationalism is Changing India Saba Naqvi - author of Shades of Saffron 00:00 Intro 02:15 The climate crisis 11:29 Ethiopia’s ongoing conflict 13:42 Violence against Muslims in India 23:48 End note

Climate crisis: Can journalists make the world care? | The Listening Post

Aryan Khan, the son of one of India’s biggest movie stars, Shah Rukh Khan, was charged with possessing and trafficking drugs. We take a look at the drug bust that tells a story of the conflict between the Indian authorities and Bollywood. Contributors: Namrata Joshi - Journalist and film critic Vivek Agnihotri - Film director Sucharita Tyagi - Film critic Tejaswini Ganti - Assistant Professor, Anthropology and Film Studies, NYU On our radar: Facebook is again in our news feeds, and once again for the wrong reasons. Richard Gizbert speaks to producer Nic Muirhead about the continuing fallout from the whistleblower that has a consortium of news outlets on the company’s case. Alarm Phone: The refugee hotline and lifeline We discuss Alarm Phone, the hotline for refugees at sea that is helping to get their stories heard. Contributors: Jacob Berkson - Activist, Alarm Phone Giorgos Christides - Reporter, Der Spiegel Giorgos Kosmopoulos - Greece researcher, Amnesty International Notis Mitarachi - Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum 00:00 Intro 02:12 Bollywood in the dock in Modi’s India 11:17 Facebook whistleblower fallout 13:45 Alarm Phone: The refugee hotline & lifeline 24:05 End Note

Arrests & defamation: Bollywood in the dock in Modi’s India | The Listening Post

Accountability for the blast that destroyed Beirut’s port proves elusive in Lebanon and journalists are not helping. Contributors: Lara Bitar - Editor-in-Chief, The Public Source Alia Ibrahim - Co-founder and CEO, Daraj Jad Shahrour - Journalist and writer; Communications Officer, Samir Kassir Foundation On our radar: Obituaries of former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell have been too kind. 'Foreign agents' and 'undesirables': Kremlin's media labels Authorities in Russia have been systematically clamping down on journalism with the help of so-called “patriotic” activists. Contributors: Vitaly Borodin - Federal Security & Anti-Corruption Project Roman Badanin - Founder & Former Editor-in-Chief, Proekt; John S. Knight Senior International Fellow, Stanford University Lilia Yapparova - Special Correspondent, Meduza

The Beirut blast probe: A tale of distrust and disinformation | The Listening Post

A weekly programme that examines and dissects the world's media, how they operate and the stories they cover.

hubhopper

The Listening Post

hubhopper